LOGINOrtensia wasn't just crying, she was leaking soul-deep agony, the kind of raw, jagged weeping that made her small frame shudder.“Ortensia, please,” Vito begged.The sound was wrong… it was a crack in a voice that was supposed to be made of iron and blood. He reached for her, his large hands trembling, but she recoiled as if his touch were a brand of white-hot coal.“Don’t touch me! I’m leaving, Vito! I am done being the doll you keep in a golden cage while you’re out filling other women with your lies!” Her voice was a shriek, raw and stripped of its usual elegance.“You aren’t going anywhere!” Vito roared back. It wasn't a threat of violence, but a cry of pure, unadulterated desperation. He stepped into her spacs.“I didn't know what came over me, doll. I swear to you on my life, on my soul, I wasn't in my right mind when they... when it happened. I was under the influence of alcohol.”Ortensia let out a jagged, mocking laugh that ended in a sob. “Alcohol? You’re Vito Marino. You
The tension in the air was thick enough to choke on as Eleonora brushed past Vito, her shoulder glancing off his in a move that was purely intentional.She stepped into the mansion, shaking the rain from her hair like a cat that had just claimed a new territory. Vito didn’t even look at her, his eyes were glued to Ortensia. She looked so small standing there in that oversized robe, but her voice had carried the weight of a judge passing a sentence.Vito didn't wait for Eleonora to settle. He turned on his heel and followed Ortensia as she retreated toward their master suite, his heart hammering a frantic rhythm against his ribs. He shut the door behind them."What the hell was that, doll?" Vito demanded, his voice a low, vibrating growl. He paced the length of the rug, his hands shoved deep into his pockets to keep them from shaking."Why would you invite that woman into this house? Why would you ask her to come in?" He asked.Ortensia didn't look at him. She walked over to the window
Vito froze for a heartbeat, his hand hovering over the duvet. He looked at Ortensia, really looked at her, and felt a pang of something that felt dangerously like fear."You know the answer to that, doll," he said, his voice dropping into that gravelly, certain tone he used when he was commanding his world to stay in place."I’ve burned down half the city to keep you under this roof. Don't ask questions we both know the answer to." He said.He didn't wait for her to respond. He couldn't. The weight of his own secrets made it impossible to hold her gaze for too long. Instead, he channeled his guilt into movement, tucking the heavy wool blankets around her with aggressive precision. He began to pace the length of the marble floor, his boots clicking rhythmically."But this? This stunt in the shower?" He gestured wildly toward the bathroom. "You’re acting like a child, Ortensia. I told you I needed space, that I had business to settle, and you decide to freeze yourself to death? You're
Vito was a shell of himself… a man haunted by a ghost he had created in a moment of weakness.He stepped through the doors of the mansion. He was hungry, the kind of hunger that gnawed at your stomach when your mind was too busy racing to remember the last time you ate.He bypassed the living areas and headed straight for the dining room.The table was set with the usual perfection. Silverware gleamed against the dark wood, and a spread of roasted meats and seasoned vegetables sat in the center. But the steam had long since vanished.The oils had congealed on the surface of the sauces, and the bread was starting to harden. It had been sitting there for a long time.Vito pulled out his chair, the screech of the wood against the floor sounding like a scream in the silent house. He sat down and piled a plate high, forced a few bites into his mouth, but they tasted like ash.He kept glancing at the door, expecting Ortensia to sweep in with that defiant tilt of her chin, demanding to know
The Next DayThe sprawling gardens of the estate, usually a place of relief, now felt suffocating. Vito stood near the marble fountain, the rhythmic splash of water doing nothing to drown out Eleonora’s voice in his head from last night. “I’m carrying your child.”He took a long drag of his cigar, the thick smoke swirling around a glass of neat bourbon held in his other hand. His eyes were bloodshot, his mind a jagged mess of consequences.If she was telling the truth, the fragile world he was building with Ortensia wasn't just under attack from outside… it was rotting from the inside.A soft crunch of gravel alerted him. He didn’t have to turn to know it was her. Ortensia’s presence always had a specific frequency, a warmth that usually calmed his jagged edges. Today, it only made his stomach churn with guilt."You’ve been out here for an hour, Vito," she said softly, stepping up beside him. She wrapped her arms around herself, her eyes searching his impenetrable profile."You barel
“It’s okay,” Ortensia said softly, her voice breaking the tension. “I’m also sorry for what I said yesterday. I shouldn't have accused you of using me as bait. I know you would never endanger my life like that.”She reached out, her fingers grazing his sleeve. Vito looked down at her hand, his expression unreadable, before he stood up from the chair.“It’s okay, doll. I’m not mad at you,” he said.It was only then, as he stood up that Ortensia noticed his clothes. He wasn't wearing his lounging robe or the casual shorts he usually wore. He was dressed in a charcoal trouser, with a black shirt unbuttoned at the collar. He looked like he was dressed to go out.“Are you going somewhere?” she asked, a small pit of sadness forming in her stomach. After the chaos of the previous day, the thought of him leaving the mansion felt like a breach in her safety net.“I’m going clubbing with a few other gangs,” he replied, checking the gold watch on his wrist. “A neutral ground meeting for busines
He scoffed. “You’re pushing this thing about Saskia.”Ortensia froze hearing him say this, she was in disbelief. Pushing? No, she wasn’t pushing anything. She wasn’t the one hiding pieces of the truth. It was Vito that was holding something back, and she could feel it in the way he avoided her gaze
"Urgh." Ortensia maons feeling the pleasure that comes with Vito giving her nipples a little pinch.He then cupped her breast, and then he squeezed them. She rolled her eyes, already prepared that Vito was really going to fuck her herd today because of how angry he was earlier.He shifted his face
He closed his eyes as her cries faded into the stillness of the room. The sound of her sobs haunted him for a moment, before he forced it away.Slowly, he stood, pacing the floor like a predator contained. Anger throbbed through him, not because of Saskia, not at the accident, but at Ortensia. How
The next morning, her eyes flew open. Across the room, Vito sat, still and watching her. She froze for a second, then snapped upright.“Vito.” Her voice trembled with shock.His eyes narrowed, his jaw tight, a shadow of anger flickering across his face. She could feel it in the way he shifted, the



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